Chapter 461: Fulfill My Wish

Chapter 461: Chapter 461: Fulfill My Wish

That strange sound continued to spread through the skies above Konoha.

Almost simultaneously, Hizashi and Neji activated their Byakugan and looked toward the direction the sound had come from. However, its source was far too distant, already beyond the observational range of their Byakugan.

Withdrawing his gaze, Hizashi ordered, "Let’s go. We’ll return to the clan compound first!"

Neji said, "Father, I don’t know why, but I feel like that sound is filled with something evil."

Hizashi nodded solemnly.

He, too, could sense something sinister within that sound—an evil overflowing with all manner of desires and madness.

As they passed Sasuke and Naruto, Hizashi stopped and called out loudly, "You two shouldn’t be wandering around the streets either. Hurry home!"

Elsewhere, on another street.

Little Shion was holding a skewer of dango, taking huge bites as she happily chewed away.

Ashiho followed behind her with a helpless expression, his arms piled high with all the snacks and toys Shion had just bought.

By now, this had practically become part of his daily routine.

Just then, the strange sound reached them.

Shion froze as though struck by lightning.

Ashiho hurriedly asked, "Your Highness, what’s wrong?"

Shion seemed completely terrified. Her voice trembled on the verge of tears as she said,

"I... I saw so many ’death prophecies’!"

Ashiho froze as well, momentarily at a complete loss for what to do.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

At that moment, the village’s evacuation alarms began ringing one after another.

Remembering Kagami’s instructions, Ashiho didn’t dare hesitate. He threw everything in his arms onto the ground, grabbed Shion’s little hand, and immediately ran toward the nearest shelter.

......

On a cliff some distance away from Konoha.

An elite jonin of Kusagakure named Mui was slowly walking, step by step, toward an enormous square box whose four sides were carved with twisted, demonic faces.

If Kagami were here, he would have recognized it at a glance.

This enormous box, which was currently radiating an evil chakra, was none other than Kusagakure’s secret weapon—

The Box of Ultimate Bliss.

Standing behind Mui were four figures.

They were the four elders who ruled Kusagakure.

"Our long-cherished wish is finally about to be realized!"

"The revival of Kusagakure begins today—right now!"

"Mui, don’t hesitate! Hurry and make the wish for Kusagakure’s revival!"

"That’s right! Your son didn’t sacrifice himself for nothing. I’m sure he was looking forward to this day as well!"

The four Kusagakure advisory elders, wearing sheep, ox, dog, and monkey masks respectively, were overcome with excitement and madness, as though the entire shinobi world would fall into their hands in the very next moment.

Farther away, Shinichi tossed Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails’ jinchuriki, over to Hiruko, who was standing atop the fusion summon.

Her chakra had been completely drained by the Box of Ultimate Bliss, leaving her unconscious.

Shinichi then glanced toward the Kusagakure shinobi in the distance and said disdainfully,

"Those pieces of trash think they’re worthy of ruling the shinobi world?"

Standing atop the fused summon, Hiruko caught the unconscious Yugito and then shifted his gaze toward the Box of Ultimate Bliss, an intrigued expression appearing on his face.

Unlike Shinichi, whose arrogance had seeped deep into his very bones, Hiruko was far more receptive to unfamiliar things.

Moreover, he had already tested it earlier. No matter what method he used, he had been unable to damage the Box of Ultimate Bliss in the slightest.

That fact alone was enough to pique his interest.

The corner of Hiruko’s mouth curled upward as he casually asked, "What do you think is actually hidden inside that box?"

Shinichi replied, "Whatever’s inside, there’s no way it can destroy Konoha!"

"We Akatsuki opened the Box of Ultimate Bliss for Kusagakure, and in return, they’ll destroy Konoha for us. It’s nothing more than a transaction!" Hiruko chuckled before continuing, "No one actually believes a mere Kusagakure could destroy Konoha, the foremost of the Five Great Shinobi Villages."

He then said, "Let’s go. Our mission here is finished!"

Hearing this, Shinichi said nothing more. With a leap, he landed on the fusion summon’s back.

The fused summon immediately spread its wings and took to the skies, carrying Hiruko, Shinichi, and the unconscious Yugito into the distance.

Kusagakure was merely the first wave of attacks Akatsuki had prepared for Konoha.

They still had other missions to carry out afterward.

......

Standing before the Box of Ultimate Bliss, Mui stared at the hideously twisted face carved into its surface and briefly sank into his memories.

As a staunch member of Kusagakure’s radical faction, Mui’s lifelong wish had always been to open the Box of Ultimate Bliss and restore Kusagakure to its former glory.

But only after sacrificing his own son, Muku, not long ago did he finally come to a sudden realization.

What he truly cared about had never been the revival of Kusagakure.

It was his son.

At that moment, scene after scene of the time he had once spent together with Muku flashed through his mind.

As for the anxious urging of Kusagakure’s elders ringing in his ears—

Mui shut it all out.

"Open, Box of Ultimate Bliss!"

Suddenly, Mui let out a thunderous shout.

In an instant, layer upon layer of sounds erupted from the Box of Ultimate Bliss.

There were roars that struck directly at the soul, whispers that stirred the deepest desires within the heart, and anguished wails overflowing with suffering.

At that moment, two streams of tears slid down Mui’s cheeks.

Amid the bewitching shrieks of the Box of Ultimate Bliss, and under the expectant gazes of the four Kusagakure advisory elders behind him, Mui spoke slowly, emphasizing every single word:

"Please... give me back my child, Muku.

"Box of Ultimate Bliss—

"Fulfill my wish!"

"Mui, you—!?"

"What!?"

"Traitor!"

"How dare you betray the village!"

The four Kusagakure advisory elders were horrified.

Never could they have imagined that something would go wrong at the very last step—and even less that the one who would betray them would be Mui, the very man who, not long ago, had willingly sacrificed his own son.

Wooo...

Another mournful wail emerged from the Box of Ultimate Bliss.

Immediately afterward, the relief carvings covering the grotesque face on the side facing Mui began peeling away one after another.

Beneath an eerie glow, layer after layer of distorted faces was revealed.

Finally, the face of a beast appeared before everyone.

Its enormous mouth slowly opened, revealing the unfathomable darkness hidden deep within the box. It was as though the interior of the Box of Ultimate Bliss was connected to an entirely different space-time.

At that moment, both Mui and the four Kusagakure elders standing behind him froze.

Because from within the Box of Ultimate Bliss, they could sense an overwhelming malice—

A malice so dense that it had almost condensed into something tangible!

Suddenly, from within the dark and unfathomable depths of the box, a figure staggered out...

......

Konoha, Hokage’s Office.

Ryuran, an elite jonin and representative of Kusagakure’s conservative faction, bowed apologetically to the Third Hokage.

"I’m very sorry. Mui wasn’t able to delay things until the day after tomorrow as we agreed!"

"What is meant to come will always come eventually." The Third waved his hand, then asked, "As for the records concerning the Box of Ultimate Bliss... has Kusagakure truly lost all of them?"

Ryuran replied, "I assure you, Lord Hokage. We of Kusagakure’s Flower Faction have concealed absolutely nothing from you!"

The Third took a deep draw from his pipe and sighed.

"In other words, even you don’t know what exactly is inside that box?"

Ryuran nodded, then said solemnly, "Kusagakure has sacrificed far too much over the past several decades in order to open it. I can feel that it is a truly ominous object, so please—you must treat it with the utmost caution!"